Portable desk and card-holder



(No Model.)

B. P. GLASGOGK.

PORTABLE DESK AND CARD HOLDER.

No. 394,850. Patented Dec. 18. 1888.

N. PETEHS. Pholo-Lilllogmylhcr. washing 0 c WNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

PORTABLE DESK AND CARD-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,850, dated December18, 18 88. Application filed March 31, 1888. Serial No. 269,173. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. GLAscocK, of Rensselaer, in the county ofBalls and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Portable Desks and Card-Holders; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention has relation to portable desks, and is particularlyapplicable to cardwriting, superscribing envelopes, and sketch 111g.

The principal obj cct of the invention is to hold in place cards,envelopes, paper, and the like while writing, in such manner that thecards will remain in the same position without handling or soiling thecards with the fingers by holding them.

My invention consists in forming in the higher or upper portion of thedesk slots, in which maybe placed elastic bands,which,when put over theends of the cards to be written on, hold them in position until removedby the writer, all of which will be more fully hereinafter described,and pointed out in the claims.

My invention further consists in certain novel features of constructionand combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

Having reference to the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 illustrates aperspective view of the desk in an open position ready for use. Fig. 2is a side view in a closed position; Fig. 3, a front or end view showingits mode of fastening and also the drawers in a closed position, andFig. 4 is a central longitudinal section taken on the line :c of Fig. 1.

A is the desk, B its upper portion, and C its lower portion.

D is the hinged holding device hinged to the lower portion in suchmanner as to be thrown over the paperor cards to be written upon; butwhen in the position shown in Fig. 1 it is on a level with the surfaceof the desk, it being let into a recess made for the purpose. Thisholding device D is principally designed to hold envelopes and paper;but when made short at the lower ends, as shown in dotted lines ff, itrests 011 the edge of the cards and holds themin place. hen it isdesired to make a fancy border around their edges, and when fancy workis to be done on papersuch as sketching or the likethe holder may bemade as shown by dotted lines I. t.

For writing cards alone, the elastic bands a a are preferred. Thesebands, when they are to be used, are slipped in from the sides throughslots Z) Z), and the cards inserted beneath them. When a card isfinished, it is pulled out and laid aside.

0 is a flexible or other tongue for fastening the folding desk togetherby inserting it in a keeper, cl.

g g are drawers made in conformity to the contour of the desk, and arepreferably held in place by springs h h, which prevent them from fallingout of their position.

Paper and other material may be kept in the lower hollow port-ionbeneath the supplemental lid or holding device D.

It is obvious that several modifications of the card-holding devicemaybe made without departing from the spirit of my invention; andtherefore I do not desire to confine myself to the forms shown.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a portable desk, the combination of the upper and lower portionshinged and adapted to be folded together, said upper portion beingprovided with retaining-slots in its opposite sides adapted to receiveand hold elastic bands for securing the paper or other material inposition, and a holder or hand-rest pivoted to and provided with a seator socket in the lower portion of the desk and capable of being swungover to rest upon the material to be operated upon.

2. A portable writing-desk provided with slots in its opposite sidesextending inwardly IOO a suitable distance and open on the upper Intestimony that i claim the foregoing is and vertical sides of the desks,in combinamy 0W1) I zil'fix my signature in presence of tion withelastic hands adapted to be intwo witnesses. serted. in said slots andextend above the desk and held the material to be written, \Vitnesses:upon tightly in place upon the upper Face 01' EUGENE (ALLAN DUFFY, thedesk, as described. I (HARL'ES Mxmms WERLE.

ED\VARD P GLASCOUK.

